Electronic character selecting and/or printing apparatus



W. H. BLISS 2,762,862

AND/OP PRINTING APPARATUS Sept. 11, 1956 ELECTRONIC CHARACTER SELECTING 8 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 1. 1951 2z... o F. Qn ww] xfmmENm v o:

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ELECTRONIC CHARACTER SELECTING AND/OR PRINTING APPARATUS Filed March 1, 1951 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 ii. m. m m. l znop. .k ,Y u- WH 50:23 RMW p Nm. M NN mi# W W .uw W ,MNH f w Q f 11 x l.- N h @m 2 www. Q Ik v WSXQQN M :I N. E@ NS QN Nw. #Sm 4% United States Patent O ELECTRONIC CHARACTER SELECTING AND/ R PRITING APPARATUS Warren H. Bliss, Princeton, N. J., assigner to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Deiavvare Application March 1, 1951, Serial No. 213,389 9 Claims. (Cl. 178`-15) The present invention relates to the selection of indicia, including readable characters, by code controlled means; and, more particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, to novel means for selecting indicia, such as letters of the alphabet, and for arranging and presenting the selected indicia in usable form. Selection, in accordance with the invention, may occur at a place which is remote from the place of arrangement and presentation.

In accordance with the invention, an arrangement is provided for selecting and electronically producing a letter of the alphabet, for example. The selected letter is shifted, preferably by electronic means, to fit into an intelligible arrangement of similar letters. Initial production of the letter is obtained by a selector operated by code sensing means. Counter circuits are employed for arranging a series of selected letters in intelligible order. The resulting intelligible arrangement of letters is recorded by photographic means, for example, or by other means. Suitable recording mediums may be employed which are sensitive to visible or invisible radiant energy. Photographic methods of recording are responsive to visible as well as invisible radiation and are, therefore, suitable. Radiation controlled electrostatic patterns may be employed for recording. Any suitable kind of ycode presenting medium may be used with the invention including transparent tape marked with code characters, punched tape or magnetic tape.

Ari object of the invention is to provide in a novel way for the selection of discrete indicia and for the arrangement of the selected indicia in intelligible form.

A further object is to provide novel means for controlling scanning deiiection of the electron beam in a cathode ray tube.

A still further object is to provide novel means for the electronic selection of indicia by code controlled means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will, of course, become apparent and immediately suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which the invention is directed from a reading of the following specication in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an overall bloc.: diagram of apparatus embodying the invention for selecting and arranging characters or other indicia;

Fig. 2 is a view of the character defining means of the invention representing characters disposed for selection;

Fig. 2a is a view similar to Fig. 2 which shows two areas each presenting a group of characters to be selected;

Fig. 3 is a schematic showing of an arrangement suitable for deriving code signals representing letters of the alphabet or other indicia;

Figs. 4 and 4A are to be combined as a schematic diagram of one of the principal units shown by Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 shows a series of waveforms used in explaining the operation of the apparatus of Figs. 4 and 4A;

Fig. 6 shows schematically details of another of the principal units shown by Fig. l;

Fig. 7 shows schematically further detail of the unit of Fig. 1 which is partially shown in Fig. 6;

ice

Fig. 8 shows a series of waveforms used in explaining the operation of the apparatus of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 shows, schematically, an arrangement in accordance with the invention for selecting an additional set of character defining means.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a comprehensive showing of apparatus embodying this invention which selects indicia sach, for example, as letters of the alphabet and arranges the indicia in a desired order or pattern. In practicing the invention, letters of the alphabet may be selected and arranged to form words and sentences. The parts of the apparatus indicated by blocks in Fig. 1 are illustrated by other figures of the drawing and will be described more in detail herein. These blocks are designated in Fig. l by the reference character assigned hereinafter to the principal component of the apparatus in the block. A detailed showing of the apparatus in each block is given in Figs. 4, 4A, 6 and 7.

Reference numeral 10 (Fig. 1) designates a code reader or senser which may be of any desired kind or type for handling a code bearing medium. In the illustrative example, the code senser 1t), as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, operates with punched tape 14 bearing code punchings in accordance with the well-known live-unit telegraph printing code. The apparatus of Fig. 3 may, if desired, include features shown in Zworykin Patent No. 1,753,961, granted April 8, 1930. Apatent to Cremer 1,828,556 dated October 20, 1931, also discloses a code senser or transmitter suitable for purposes of carrying out this invention.

Fig. 3 of the drawing shows a fragment of a strip of tape 14 having code punchings. The punchings represent the letters IZM. The light source 16 is provided for projecting light through the punched holes in the tape onto a set of six phototubes 21 to 26 (Figs. 3 and 4). Suitable means, such as quartz rods 27, are provided to guide the light from a hole in the tape onto its corresponding phototube. The type of tape shown, illustratively, has a series of sprocket holes 28 for driving the tape and phototube 23 receives light projected through the sprocket holes as the tape moves. It will be understood that any suitable motor may be employed to drive the means for moving the tape. It will be also understood that, as pointed out above, magnetic tape may be employed with magnetic pick-up devices. The tape 14 may be transparent with opaque tape markings thereon. Since the selection and scanning of each letter is triggered individually, apparatus embodying the invention will operate at any speed from its maximum or top value down to a few characters per second. The tape drive speed is not critical and does not bear any synchronous relationship to operation of the apparatus.

The receiving and recording arrangement of Fig. 1 includes two flying spot cathode ray tube scanners or kinescopes 31 and 32. The principle of the liying spot Scanner is shown in Patent No. 2,104,066 granted to V. K. Zworykin on January 4, 1938. A slide or mask 33 is interposed between the 'llying spot tube scanner 31 and a phototube 30 (Fig. 6) included in the block 30 of Fig. 1. An amplifier comprising tubes 35, 36 and 37 (Fig. 6) is provided for the phototube output. The slide 33 may, if desired, be in the form of a mask applied directly to the face of the kinescope 31 as indicated by Fig. 2. The cathode ray beam 29 excites the phosphor 40 in the tube 31 to provide a light output. The indicia may be opaque, or transparent on an opaque iield. The mask is divided into squares which correspond to components of deflection super-imposed on the raster deection means of the kinescope. For example, the square inscribed with the letter I is reached by deilecting the beam four units horizontally and one unit vertically from the rest position of the beam. In the rest position, the beam is extinguished. However, the resultant deflection forces would position the unextinguished beam at the rest point. ln the illustrative example, the beam rest position is at the point 39 on Fig. 2. A sweep cornponent is added to the vertical deection component which effects selection. Properly applied deflection currents =or voltages normally maintain the beam in the rest position, and steady deection components to select a square on the mask 33 vary these steadily applied deection components. Alternatively, and more simply, the well-known gun structure of the kinescope 31 may be located so as to direct the beam to the portion of the screen occupied by the square representing the rest position in the absence of coordinate deflection voltages or currents. A deection yoke is indicated by reference character 41. This yoke may be of the kind fully described in Patent No. 2,428,947 granted to C. E. Torsch on October 14, 1947. The coordinate deflection currents may be superimposed on the windings of the yoke 41. In the illustrative example, an auxiliary yoke 43 is provided which surrounds the yoke 41 or lies adjacent to it. The electron beam of the cathode ray tube is deflected over a scanning pattern or raster, this raster having an area sucient only to cover one of the selected indicia squares of the mask 33. The scanned raster may be similar to the raster produced in a television tube, but it need not be interlaced.

The kinescope 32 is provided with a deection yoke 48 which is or may be similar to the yoke 41 described in connection with the kinescope 31. This provides deflection of the cathode ray beam 50 over the phosphor 51. The yoke 43 receives deilection currents as shown in detail by Figs. 7 and 8. A suitably disposed auxiliary yoke 52 is provided for the kinescope 32. It will be understood, in the description which is to follow, that the terms vertical and horizontal are used herein merely to designate components of scanning and do not necessarily have any relationship to the position in space of the target faces Eof the kinescopes 31 and 32. Recordings may be obtained by any apparatus or process from the face of the kinescope 32.

Y Referring to Figs. 4 and 4A of the drawing, a detailed description will now be given of the arrangement in accordance with the invention for producing deflection of the beam in the kinescope 31 so as to eiect character selectionV and character production. The output from the phototube 23 serves to cause operation of a locking multivibrator 54. The phototube 26 causes operation of a locking multivibrator 56, while the phototubes 21 to 26, as shown in Fig. 4, are labelled to correspond with those appearing in Fig. 3 which are coordinated with the tape fragment appearing in Fig. 5, line b. The phototubes 25, 24, 22, and 21 are connected through channels, schematically shown as rectangles, designated 59, 60, 61 and 62 respectively to driver tubes designated respectively by reference characters 65, 66, 67, 68 and 69. The channels 59 to 62 embrace the same equipment as that shown between the phototube 23 and a driver tube designated by reference character 74.

The phototube 23, as seen from Fig. 3 of the drawing, is responsive to the uniformly spaced sprocket holes in the tape 14 and its output is ampliiied in a known or usual way by an amplier tube 76. A tube 78 causes the tube 81 of the locking multivibrator 54 to become conductive when the phototube 23 receives illumination through one of the sprocket perforations in the tape 14. The source of positive plate voltage for the tube 78 and the'tubes of the multivibrator 54 is obtained from a regulated source of direct current voltage (not shown) applied to the terminal 84. When the right-hand tube 86 of the multivibrator 54 is turned oi, a pulse is applied to a gate amplier tube 88.

When standard tape of the kind shown in Figs. 3 and 5 is used as a source 'of coded information, advantage is taken of the small size of the sprocket holes to provide for a delay in operation of the multivibrator 54. Due to the fact that the sprocket hole is smaller than the intelligence pulse holes, the associated locking multivibrator 54 is not tripped until a time somewhat later than the other multivibrators as shown by the time relationship of the waveform c of Fig. 5. This results in a retarded positive polarity being applied to all live gate amplifiers corresponding to and including the tube S8 after certain ones of them have been primed or made ready by the occurrence of an intelligence pulse hole on the tape. The letter I, for example, causes operation of the locking multivibrator in the channel 61 and the locking multivibrator in the channel 60. The delay means is provided to obtain operation of all of the channels simultaneously. In the illustrative example, the gate tube 88 has its grid connected to a source of negative potential from a power supply source '90 (Fig. 6) as indicated at 91. The output of the locking multivibrator 54 is differentiated by a condenser 92 and a resistor 93. The tube 8S reverses the phase of the dilierentiated wave and clips o the positive pulses, leaving the negative-going pulses as indicated by curve d of Fig. 5. The curve d is shown as being continuous and representing the combined output of all of the gate ampliier tubes. It will be understood, however, that the gate amplifier tube 88 will produce the negative pulses as shown in curve d y:only when the phototube 26 is illuminated. Assuming that phototube 26 receives illumination, the right hand tube 96 of the multivibrator 56 is not conducting and, therefore, a positive potential is applied to the grid of the gating tube 8S, permitting it to repeat a pulse fnom curve d. it will be understood that other retarding means may be used, such as a delay multivibrator coupled to the output of the multivibrator 54 and to the grid of the gating amplifier 38. If this last-named plan is employed, the phototube 23 will be omitted and a continuous series of pulses can then be obtained from the combined pulse outputs of the phototubes 21, 22, 2.4, 25, and 26.

The output of the gating ampliiier 88, in the form of a negative pulse when the phototube 26 is illuminated, as pointed out above, is applied to control a single shot multivibrator 99. The single shot multivibrator 99, as well as those in the channels 59 to 62 are conventional and develop square top pulses whose length is adjusted in accordance with the maximum speed of operation of the system. rl`he output of the single shot multivibrator 99 is shown by curve of Fig. 5. The output from the multivibrator 99 is taken through a glow tube 102 and applied to the grid 104 of the deection driver tube 65. The grid 104 is connected to the negative source of biasing potential 91 (Fig. 6). A diode 106, which may be a crystal rectifier, has for its purpose to help hold the plate current of driver tube 65 constant during conduction time. The input conditions are such that the grid of the tube 65, as well as the tubes 66 to 69, could be driven positive, but the diodes conduct and hold the grids at essentially cathode potential.

The screen grid 108 of the tube 65 is connected to the sliding tap of a potentiometer 109 so that the level of output current in the tube 65 may be set. The current level of the tube 65 is such that it represents one unit of horizontal deection in the horizontal deflection coil in the yoke 41 as indicated by curve s of Fig. 5. The current level of the tube 66 is set to provide two units Vof horizontal deection by the adjustment of the screen grid resistor 110. This is illustrated by curve p of Fig. 5. rIhe output current for the tube 67 is set to provide four units of deflection by the screen grid resistor 112 as shown by curve m of Fig. 5. The voltage at the screen grid of the tube 68 is controlled by a potentiometer 114 so that its current output represents one unit of vertical deiiection as shown by curve y' of Fig. 5. The screen grid resistor 116 for the tube 69 is set so that it provides two units of vertical deection as shown by the curve g of Fig. 5. Suitable centering means for the horizontal deflection coil 100 are indicated by variable resistors 118 and 119. Vertical centering for the vertical deflection coil 122 is provided by the variable resistor 124. The junction of the resistors 119 and 124 is connected to a source of high positive voltage. In the illustrative example, this is 55() volts positive and the terminal 84 is connected to a 25'() volt source. The coil 122 forms the vertical dellecting means of the yoke 41.

ln addition to locating the beam in the kinescope 31 on the portion of the beam target corresponding to `a selected letter, it is necessary to deflect the beam vertically and horizontally over the relatively small area assigned to each character or letter. In the illustrative 'arrangement, `shown more in detail by Fig. 4A, horizontal sweep within the character area is provided by the auxiliary deflecting coil 43 previously referred to as an auxiliary horizontal yoke or coil. Horizontal scanning deflection within the character area on the tube face is generated under control of a free running multivibrator 131 of a well-known type. This multivibrator produces discharge pulses as 'shown by curve t of Fig. 5. It is to be noted that the horizontal sweep for the character area scanned need not be synchronized with the code reading apparatus. Deiiection for scanning the character area by the kinescope 32 is also controlled from the multivibrator 131. The output wave from the multivibrator 131 'is applied to the grid 133 of a discharge tube 136. The tube 136 allows a condenser 138 to produce the horizontal letter sweep or sawtooth wave of curve u in Fig. 5. This operation is by now well-known since the condenser 138 charges from the source 84 and is discharged during conductive time of the tube 136. The produced sawtooth is applied to the grid 141 of the driver tube 74 so that this tube drives `a sawtooth of current through the coil 43.

Return line blanking during letter area scan in the kinescope 31 is provided by a blanking tube 143. The pulses shown by line t of Fig. are applied to the grid of the tube 143 and the output is taken across a cathode resistor 144 and applied to the cathode 146 (Fig. 6) of the kinescope 31. The blanking connect-ion is shown schematically at reference character 149 on Figs. 4 and 6.

Vertical deflection over the character area in the kinescopes 31 and 32 is provided under control of a delayed single shot or single stroke multivibrator 153, the output of which appears as curve v in Fig. 5. The multivibrator 153 has its delay characteristic set to hold off the vertical letter sweep or scan until the letter selection deflection currents have been established in the yoke coils. The multivibrator 153 is triggered from the locking multivibrator 54 over a conductor 156. This connection includes a rectifier 158 and a coupling condenser 159. 'llhe negative going output pulses from the multivibrator 54 are differentiated, the rectifier 158 passing the first short negative going pulse to trip the multivibrator and suppressing the short positive going pulse.

The output of the delay multivibrator 153 is a series of positive going pulses as shown by curve v of Fig. 5, the (titration of these pulses being determined by the restoring time of the multivibrator as is well known in the art. A rectifier 162 and a condenser 163 are employed to couple the multivibrator 153 to a second single shot multivibrator 164 which serves to provide blanking pulses and which controls operation of the vertical discharge tube 166. The pulse wave of curve v of Fig. 5 is differentiated and the rectifier 162 suppresses the initial short positive going pulse permitting the following negative going pulse to trip the multivibrator 164 after a time interval determined by the operation of the multivibrator 153. The ouput of the multivibrator 164 appearing in the lead 168 (Figs. 4A and 6) is represented by curve w of Fig. 5. This wave consisting of positive going pulses during the sweep interval is applied to the grid 171 of the kinescope 31.

Positive going pulses of blanking time duration from the plate of the left-hand tube 173 of the multivibrator 164 'are applied to cause conductivity in the tube 166 thereby to discharge the condenser 174 to provide for retrace. The current output of the vertical scanning driving tube 176 is added to the vertical selecting current flowing in the vertical deflection coil 122. Conductor 17) supplies screen voltage for the tubes 78 and 166, and other tubes, by way of the space current path or paths in the multivibrator 54 and corresponding multivibrators in the other channels.

Fig. 6 of the drawing shows the circuit of the previously mentioned phototube 30 in which a video type of signal is developed from the face of the kinescope 31. Patent No. 2,506,668 granted to Harold E. Haynes on May 9, i959, illustrates the use of a photomultiplier phototube similar to that indicated by reference character 30 here- This phototube may be a 93l-A type. A negative polarity high voltage source for the phototube 30 is indicated generally by reference character 179 and a regulator tube 184. The output of the phototube 30 is amplified, as stated above, by the tubes 35, 36, and 37. The two last-named tubes operate as limiters to clip the video letter signals on top and bottom to eliminate any amplitude irregularities. Potentiometers 186 and 187 provide a means for adjusting the grid bias of the tube 37 and the bias on the grid of the kinescope 32. A variable resistor 191 in series with a condenser 192 in the cathode circuit of the tube 36 provides a small amount of phosphor characteristic compensation for the kinescope 31.

The power supply shown in Fig. 6 also includes rectifier tubes 193 and 194. Tube 193 is connected to provide regulated negative bias for the indicated points 195 and 91 in the circuits. Tube 194 serves in a known nanner to provide a positive voltage supply.

Fig. 7 ot the drawing shows the recorder control cir- Cuit which is included in the schematic showing of Fig. l. yhe major part d the arrangement of Fig. 7 controls the disposition of selected letters in a row on the face of the kinescope 32. Incoming pulses, one per letter or space, are applied from the delay multivibrator 153 of Fig. 4 over a conductor 196 to the grid 198 of the tube 199 which serves as a driver for a five-stage binary counter chain indicated generally by reference character 200. This counter chain usesconventional locking type multivibrators 281 to 295 with a total capacity of 32 counts. Electronic counters empioying multivibrators similar to those shown illustratively on Fig. 7 of the drawing are discussed in an article entitled Electronic digital counters by Warren H. Bliss, appearing in the April 1949 issue of Electrical Engineering. Each multivibrator controls a component of horizontal deflection through its associated driver tube. These driver tubes are designated 211 to 215. The magnitudes of the driver tube output currents are indicated by curves c, e, g, i, and k on Fig. 8 of the drawing. Since the deflection current components are also weighed on a binary scale basis, the total current used for deflection is proportional to the count. The waveforms of Fig. 8 show the counter operation and the components of the horizontal deflection current. Curve 1 shows the total current having 32 equal steps or increments of level. This causes the reproduced letters to be uniformly spaced in the line when this deflection current is applied to the horizontal deflection coil 216 located in the yoke 48 of Fig. 1.

Vertical letter sweep for the deflection coil 218 in the yoke 48 is provided from the deflection system shown in Fig. 4A and is controlled by the sawtooth of voltage output appearing in a conductor 221. This sawtooth of voltage controls operation of a vertical deflection driver tube 222.

Horizontal deflection for letter scan in the kinescope 32 is provided by pulses appearing in a conductor 224, Figs. 4A and 7, applied to the grid 226 of a discharge 7 tube 228. The output of the discharge tube is applied to the grid 229 of the driver tube 231. The plate circuit of the tube 231 includes the auxiliary horizontal deliection coil 52.

In the illustrative example when a 32 character message is observed on the screen of the kinescope 32, a means is necessary for phasing the horizontal sweep so that the first letter appears at the left end of the line of characters. Phasing is accomplished by means of a feedback loop from the last multivibrator 205 in the counter chain to the iirst multivibrator 201 through a normally open push-button switch 233. It will be understood that any convenient circuit making device may be used at the location 233. When the push-button switch 233 is closed, the capacity of the counter is reduced to 3l counts. This causes the observed line of characters to move toward the left giving somewhat the effect of a traveling electric sign. The push-button switch 233 is released when the phase is correct.

Fig. 9 of the drawing discloses an arrangement for performing selection operations in an additional area of the target of the cathode ray tube 31 of Fig. l. The apparatus of Figs. 4 and 4A remains substantially unchanged and the apparatus of Fig. 9 is added as indicated in the following description. The target face of the cathode ray tube 31 or the mask associated with the tube face is provided with an additional set of indicia which may be in the form of numerals. In accordance with the description which is to follow, the additional area is located above the characters shown by Fig. 2 on the slide or mask 33.

In the description of Fig. 9, which follows, the multivibrators of Fig. 4, including the multivibrator 56, are designated by reference characters 301, 302, 303, 304 and 305 for the sake of convenience. It will be understood that the multivibrator 301 is or corresponds to the multivibrator 56 of Fig. 4.

It will be assumed that the apparatus of Figs. 4 and 4A is conditioned for operation as previously explained to select the characters shown on Fig. 2 then locking multivibrator 308 is oif that is to say its right hand Vtube is conducting. Then driver tube 309 is cut off. The shift character on the tape or other code carrying medium, with phototubes 21, 22, 25 and l26 receiving light, causes multivibrators 301, 302, 304 and 305 to have their left hand tubes conducting. Then leads 321, 322, 324, 325 and 326 are rendered more negative or less positive simultaneously since they are connected to plates of the multivibrator tubes which are on. The lead 324 is connected to the plate of the left hand multivibrator tube. The leads 321, 322, 324, 325 and 326 have equal valued high resistors 371, 372, 373, 374 and 375 connected therein. A rectier 376 is connected from the grid of the tube 328 to ground. When any one or more of leads is at a value corresponding to the o condition of its associated multivibrator tube, then the cathode to grid path of the tube is conductive and holds the grid at essentially cathode or ground potential. The rectier 376 assists in this. As a result of the less positive potential on the leads 321, 322, 324, 325 and 3,26 simultaneously, due to occurrence of the special case shift code combination, tube 328 has its bias voltage brought from a value near cathode potential toward cutoff. A pulse on lead 331 which is connected to the plate of tube 86 is applied to the grid of a tube 333. When the grid of tube 328 is made more negative, as described, then its plate swings positive bringing the grid of tube 333 up to near cutoff from a low negative value. The pulse from lead 331 is diierentiated and the sharp initial positive going pulse causes the grid of the tube 333 to swing above cutoff. As described in connection with Fig. 4, pulses on the lead 331 are somewhat delayed with respect to operation of multivibrators 301 to 305. A negative pulse is transmitted by way of a condenser 336 to the locking multivibrator 308. This is applied to the grid of the conductingtube in the multi- 8 vibrator. The conducting tube of multivibrator 308 is thus turned off. The connection to the plate of the tube which is now ot causes driver tube 309 to conduct. Its current is included .in the vertical deflection coil 122 as indicated by the legend on the conductor 310. A means therefore is provided for performing selection operations on an additional area of the target of the cathode ray tube 31. This area may have an additional indicia pattern, for example, numerals and other special indicia to supplement the indicia appearing in Fig. 2. The associated apparatus can then function to perform equivalent selection in the new tube target area.

To restore selection to the area of Fig. 2, phototubes 21, 22, 24 to 26 receive illumination through or from the unshift character on the tape. The grid of tube 344 is made negative in a manner similar to that described for tube 328. Resistors 381, 382, 383, 384 and 385 are provided in the connections to the grid of the tube 344. The grid of tube 346 then is raised positively by the tube 344 and is responsive to the sharp positive pulse received via lead 331. A negative pulse is applied from the plate of tube 346 to the grid of the tube which is on in the multivibrator 308. Driver tube 309 ,is turned oii restoring operation of Figs. 4 and 4A to normal.

I claim:

l. A system for the electronic selection of indicia comprising cathode ray beam apparatus, a plurality of indicia producing means operatively associated with said cathode ray beam apparatus, a set of multivibrators Operable in response to received coded signals for producing beam deilection in said aparatus selectively along a plurality of deflection coordinates whereby a cathode ray beam in said apparatus is displaced to effect selection of a single indicia, a second beam deflection means, said second deflection means being operable along a single coordinate of deection in response to repeated operations of said first-named beam deection means, a second set of multivibrators settable in response to received coded signals for controlling operation of said first set of multivibrators, a set of gate tubes connected between said sets of multivibrators, and a single multivibrator operating under control of signals occurring in step with the received coded signals to control conductivity of said gate tubes.

2. A system for the electronic selection of indicia comprising cathode ray beam apparatus, a plurality of indicia producing means operatively associated with said cathode ray beam apparatus, a set of multivibrators for producing beam deflection in said apparatus selectively along a plurality of deflection coordinates whereby a cathode ray beam in said apparatus is displaced to effect selection of a single indicia, a second set of multivibrators settable in response to received coded signals for controlling operation of said irst set of multivibrators, a set of gate tubes connected between said sets of multivibrators, and a single multivibrator operating under control of signals occurring in step with the received coded signals to control conductivity of said gate tubes.

3. A system for the electronic selection of indicia comprising cathode ray beam apparatus, a plurality of .indicia producing means operatively associated with sai-d cathode ray beam apparatus, a set of multivibrators operable in response to received coded signals for producing beam deflection in said apparatus selectively along a plurality of deflection coordinates whereby a cathode ray beam in said apparatus is displaced to effect selection of a single indicia, a second set of multivibrators settable in response to received coded signals for controlling operation of said rst set of multivibrators, and a single multivibrator operating under control of signals occurring in step with the received coded signals to-control signal transmission from said second set of multivibrators.

4. A system for the electronic selection of indicia comprising cathode ray beam apparatus, a plurality of indicia producing means operatively associated with said cathode ray beam apparatus, a set of multivibrators operable in response to received coded signals for producing beam deflection in said apparatus selectively along a plurality of deflection coordinates whereby a cathode ray beam in said apparatus is displaced to effect selection of a single indicia, a second beam deflection means, said second deflection means being operable along a single coordinate of deflection in response to repeated operations of said firstnamed beam deflection means, a second set of multivibrators settable in response to received coded signals for controlling operation of said first set of multivibrators, a set of gate tubes connected between said sets of multi- Vibrators, and means operating under control of signals occurring in step with the received coded signals to control conductivity of said gate tubes.

5. In a cathode ray tube deflection system, means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube selectively over a predetermined area, means for selecting another area of deflection comprising a tube, code responsive means to cutoff said tube in response to receipt of a predetermined code combination, a multivibrator, and means to reverse said multivibrator when said tube is cut of, a second tube, code responsive means to cutoff said second tube in response to receipt of another predetermined code combination, and means to restore said multivibrator when said second tube is cutofl.

6. A system for character selection comprising a cathode ray tube having means for producing a cathode ray beam, means associated with said tube for presenting a plurality of characters for selection by beam deflection in said tube, means to deflect said beam to select a desired character, means to provide limited area deflection for scanning said selected character area in horizontal and vertical directions comprising a free running multivibrator for continuously controlling the horizontal direction of said limited area deflection, means to produce the vertical direction of said limited area deflection, means to control said last named means comprising a delay multivibrator, means whereby said delay multivibrator prevents operation of said means for deflecting the cathode ray beam in said vertical direction of scanning until said means to deflect said beam to select a desired character operates to select a desired indicia area.

7. A system for the electronic selection of indicia comprising a first cathode ray beam apparatus having beam responsive radiation producing means, deflection means for dellecting the cathode ray beam of said apparatus to provide horizontal scanning, deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said apparatus to provide vertical scanning, a plurality of indicia areas associated with said first cathode ray beam apparatus to receive radiation from the radiation producing means of said apparatus, a free running multivibrator and a delay multivibrator, means to control operation of said delay multivibrator, additional control means to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said first apparatus in accordance with received coded signals to select a desired indicia area, means including said free running multivibrator continuously to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said first apparatus continuously to provide said horizontal scanning, means including said delay multivibrator to control said deflection means for dellecting the cathoderay beam of said first apparatus to provide said vertical scanning, means whereby said delay multivibrator prevents operation of said means for deflecting the cathode ray beam to provide vertical scanning until said additional control means operates to select a desired indicia area, said horizontal and vertical scanning defining a deflection raster having an area substantially equal to said selected indicia area, a second cathode ray beam apparatus, deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said second cathode ray beam apparatus, radiant energy producing means positioned to be impinged by the cathode ray beam of said second cathode ray beam apparatus, and means for controlling the beam of said sec- 10 ond cathode ray beam apparatus in accordance with illumination produced in response to the cathode ray beam of said first apparatus. l

8. Apparatus for selecting indicia comprising a cathode ray tube having beam responsive radiation producing means, deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube to provide horizontal scanning, deflection means to provide vertical scanning, a plurality of indicia areas associated with said tube to receive radiation from the radiation producing means of said tube, a free running multivibrator and a delay multivibrator, means to control operation of said delay multivibrator, additional control means to control said deflection means for dellecting the cathode ray beam of said tube in accordance with received coded signals to select a desired indicia area, means including said free running multivibrator continuously to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube continuously to provide said horizontal scanning, means including said delay multivibrator to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube to provide said vertical scanning, means whereby said delay multivibrator prevents operation of said means for deflecting the cathode ray beam to provide vertical scanning until said additional control means operates to select a desired indicia area, and said horizontal and vertical scanning defining a deflection raster having an area substantially equal to said indicia area.

9. Apparatus for selecting characters comprising a cathode ray tube having beam responsive radiation producing means, deflection means for dellecting the cathode ray beam of said tube to provide horizontal scanning, deflection means to provide vertical scanning, means associated with the outer face of said tube having a first area presenting a first group of characters to be selected and a second area presenting a second group of characters to be selected, said last named means being disposed to receive radiation from the radiation producing means of said tube, a rst area control means comprising a signal controlled locking multivibrator responsive to a set of area selection signals operative to provide additional deflection of said beam by said deflection means for providing vertical scanning of said beam to shift said beam for selecting said second group of said groups of characters, a second area control means comprising said signal controlled locking multivibrator responsive to a second set of area selection signals operative to remove said additional deflection of said beam to select said first group of said groups of characters, a free running multivibrator and a delay multivibrator, means to control operation of said delay multivibrator, means including said free running multivibrator continuously to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube continuously to provide said horizontal scanning, means including said delay multivibrator to control said deflection means for deflecting the cathode ray beam of said tube to provide said vertical scanning, means whereby said delay multivibrator prevents operation of said means for deflecting the cathode ray beam to provide scanning until said additional control means operates to select a desired character in a selected group of characters, and said horizontal and vertical scanning defining a deflection raster having an area substantially equal to said selected character area.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,275,017 McNaney Mar. 3, 1942 2,433,340 Burgess Dec. 30, 1947 2,458,030 Rea Jan. 4, 1949 2,518,022 Keister Aug. 8, 1950 2,543,907 Gloess et al. Mar. 6, 1951 2,575,017 Hunt Nov. 13, 1951 2,624,798 Dinga Jan. 6, 1953 

